Heartbeats
by Galexz
Summary: A quiet moment between Shepard and Tali before the Omega-4 relay. This was a kink meme fill.


Hi all!

This is from the kinkmeme, with no real specific prompt in mind. I just felt Tali needed some of that sweet fluffy love that our favorite quarian deserves! I've never written femslash before or much with Tali, but I hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed working outside my element and stretching my writing muscles.

As always, I appreciate all your comments and criticisms.

_Disclaimer: Bioware owns everything._

Heartbeats.

They were her favorite sounds. The way they beat continuously and independently but still always searching for another. It sounded strange, and Tali never considered herself a romantic, but the way _their_ hearts beat together made her believe.

A human heartbeat was steady and strong, beating between 80-100 beats per minute - yes she had counted - never changing and never ending. A quarian heart was dynamic, compensating for their fluctuating immune system. They pumped faster and slower to deal with waves of adaptation to infections.

Just like now.

Out here, skin to skin, her body fought with every breath. Her lover basked in the afterglow of their activities, but her heart still raced. One day Tali would adapt, but until then she clung to Shepard's heartbeat pulsing like metronome to steady the rapid dance her own.

There was a time when she hated the quiet moments, missing her fleet and her family, but now she loved them. Without the silence she would never have been able to hear her lover's heart. Without the silence they never would have gotten so close.

When Tali had first boarded the Normandy Shepard had come to her worried about her lack of sleep. Tali had brushed it off, but the Commander wouldn't let up. With gentle eyes and a firm push she had planted the two of them on the deck and held the smaller quarian until morning. Slowly she had stroked her cowl softly, though both knew that it was a pointless gesture.

That strong heartbeat, amplified by her helmet, sounded loud compared to the purr of the quiet drive core. It was nowhere near the popping, hissing and muted hum of the Migrant Fleet, but it was enough to lull her off to sleep.

The next morning she could tell Shepard had a crick in her neck, but the 100 watt smile she had given Tali told the quarian that she didn't care. Afterwards Shepard had jokingly said she wouldn't do it again but it became habitual. Shepard would come down to the engineering room at the end of a shift and the two would talk. Simple words lead to innocent touches and then Tali all but clinging to the commander.

Tali smiled softly into the warm chest of her lover. Back then she hadn't thought much of it, never having been in love. She didn't question her loyalty to Shepard, her dedication or her concern for the commander. It was, after all, what one did when in service.

Of course cuddling with your commanding officer wasn't exactly normal. It was what friends did: helping each other sleep in difficult situations. But the way she had clung to Shepard when she miraculously came back to life had been anything but friendly.

That moment on Freedom's progress had solidified the feelings Tali had for Shepard. She remembered every detail about that encounter: the sweep of Shepard's hair, the glowing red scars, the way her eyes fell on Tali with relief and something else. They embraced and Tali buried her head as best she could in the crook of Shepard's neck desperate to hear the beat of her heart. The distrust words of her comrades fell way as her hand snaked around to the woman's neck, feeling the strong flow of blood pulsing under her fingertips.

She stayed a second too long, held on a bit too tightly but Shepard hadn't seemed to care. She held on to Tali just as fiercely.

That embrace must have solidified something in Shepard as well. The next time they met out of sight of prying eyes, she had stepped too close and lingered there.

Subtle touches and sly glances were all well and good, but Tali had wanted more, and she had gotten it. It might have been the alcohol moving her hand that night but Tali hadn't let Shepard leave without knowing more about what made her heart race.

Free of the confines of her suit, Tali had reached a single ungloved hand up to Shepard's chest to rest on the rapidly beating heart. Her hand traveled up at the memory, reliving the moment and her lover's heated gaze. Shepard hadn't pressed, knowing how delicate quarian's immune system was, but Tali was ready to push it to it's limit. She had even stolen a kiss that night.

Shepard's hand came up to grab hers, bringing it up to her lips, "I thought you'd be gone by now."

Tali snuggled in deeper. She probably should have been, a fever already starting to dull her senses, but she wanted to say just a bit longer, "In a minute."

"In a minute you might add a nasty cough to that fever you're already running."

Tali flushed slightly, her cranial flaps lifting slightly without her helmet to keep them down, "You noticed that."

Shepard gave an acknowledging murmur, "You don't need to push yourself Tali. We'll have plenty of time later."

Tali pushed herself upright and gave the human her best 'are you an idiot look'. It was hard to tell if it was just as effective without the helmet on, "We're about to go through the _Omega__-4 __relay_. We might not have anymore time. Besides it takes a very long time for quarian immune systems to adapt - multiple exposures, ample recovery time, trial-"

Shepard cut her off with a firm kiss, "All the more reason to make it back." She took Tali's hand and pressed it firmly to her chest, resting firmly between her breast, "I'm ready Tali, for the whole nine-yards: Antibiotics, medical sessions, chicken soup. Whatever you need so you can stay right here."

Tali laughed, "I have no idea what chicken soup is, but that all sounds like pretty good motivation if you ask me." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Shepard's, "Alright, I'll leave."

"Good."

"In just a minute."

Shepard rolled her eyes and laid back down, "You're insufferable."

Tali didn't say anything, she just returned to her previous position curled up next to her commander. If this was their last moment alive, she wanted this to be the last thing she remembered, even if it meant that her sinus' were filled tomorrow with something indescribable.

Because heartbeats were her favorite sound.


End file.
